Coast Guard rescues 4-year-old boy adrift on inflatable raft

CLEVELAND — A Coast Guard boatcrew rescued a 4-year-old boy who was adrift on an inflatable raft in Lake Michigan Monday afternoon.

The crew of Coast Guard Station Sheboygan, Wis., was contacted just after 4 p.m. CST by personnel at the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department, who had been contacted previously by a Waldo, Wis., man. The man reported he had been swimming off Kohler-Andrae State Park with his family, when he left his 4-year-old son on an inflatable raft to go swimming but found he was unable to get back to the raft.

The man returned to shore and called authorities for help. The boy was reportedly not wearing a lifejacket.

After receiving the call from the sheriff’s department, a Station Sheboygan rescue boatcrew launched aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small and were on scene in about 10 minutes and recovered the boy about 300 yards from shore. The crew transported him back to Station Sheboygan, where he was met by awaiting EMS and ultimately turned over to his parents in good health.

The Coast Guard recommends that people stay together whenever recreating on the water, especially when children and weak swimmers are involved.